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Sony RDR-HXD995 Freeview+ 250GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder |  | Brand: Sony
Category: CE
This item is no longer available
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 5752
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 10.4
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Legal Disclaimer: http://www.rpadistribution.com/terms_and_conditions.asp
MPN: RDRHXD995B.CEK
Model: RDRHXD995B.CEK
EAN: 4905524484472
ASIN: B0018PQUMI
Release Date: April 30, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 If you've got Freeview this is the recorder for you November 26, 2008
M. Boosey (UK)
124 out of 125 found this review helpful
I've had the 250GB version of this hard disc recorder for about a month now and I'm completely happy with it. I understand if you've got Sky or Cable it's a bit tricky to setup, but if you're planning on using it for just Freeview it's perfect. Some reviews have mentioned that the unit is loud, but I think they must just have faulty versions as mine is quiet as a mouse.
Setup is a doddle... simply put your ariel lead into the back of the Sony, a scart lead between the Sony and your TV, plug it in and you're away. Once the clock is setup and it's downloaded the programme guide (all done via a simple menu) you can begin watching, recording, playing.
Quick extra tip: If you put an ariel lead between your Sony and TV (in addition to the Scart) you can watch normal terrestial without turning on the Sony... or watch one programme whilst it is recording another for you.
If you have American DVDs, I don't think this is multi-region as standard, however I bought my box from one of the sellers advertising on the Amazon marketplace (rather than Amazon direct) because they are selling a multi-region version.
In summary: if you're trying to work out to get this or a Philips, choose this.
Worth Every Penny November 27, 2008
Acky (UK)
96 out of 97 found this review helpful
This is the first review I have ever submitted but I feel this products definitely warrants it. Having had my previous Sony DVD recorder for about 3 years I decided to take the plunge and get a hard disk version. This unit is a dream. Easy to set up and the Freeview reception and picture are immaculate. But the best thing about this item for me is how easy it is to set up programs/series to record. Just select from the guide and press OK. Whereas with my old recorder I would have to think twice about going through the laborious setup routine for each programme, now it takes seconds. I have also been using it to transfer treasured VHS recordings onto the hard drive and then 'dubbing' them back onto DVD. Again, this is so easy to do and I can edit the recordings before transferring them. The dubbing process is really quick. This was my first major electrical item purchased from Amazon and it arrived within a few days. I am so pleased with this product and do not have a bad word to say about it!(And rest assured, I do not work for Sony or Amazon!)
Great product December 8, 2008
C. M. Burgess (UK)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I wanted a new Freeview recorder that was both HDD and DVD. I really wanted a twin Freeview but could not find one that was acceptable so decided to go with this after reading the excellent reviews. At least you can record one program while watching on normal analog TV. This arrived within 2 days of ordering and only took 15 minutes from opening box to full set up. Very easy and the instructions for operating the unit were good too. My wife normally has a problem the first few days with new electronic gear but she got to grips with this very easily. The picture quality is excellent and the DVD upscaling is great too.
Great kit, but the interface with the cable box is not so good... January 12, 2009
A. J. Marshall (Hampshire, England)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Coming from tape, it's a dream - even people who can't make all the bells and whistles work will find it good value for around £200. I thought the thick instruction book was (like so many) in half a dozen languages - but no, those 167 pages are all in English - so be ready for some serious reading if you want to make the most of it... One tip here - download the manual from the Sony support website as a PDF and you can search for key words etc.
Pros -
You can watch a recorded programme while recording another - brilliant! Maybe they can all do this, but coming from tape, it's amazing. (If you want to record one live programme and watch another live programme, then you need a second tuner - either in the TV or eg cable TV).
I like the fast-forward with sound - you can pause the TV while you (eg) answer the phone, then press Play and the fast forward, which then enables you to catch up again - they just speak a bit faster (but it's not in a squeaky voice!). Then when it catches up, it tells you and slows down to normal speed. (But don't forget to stop the record, as this continues)
I chose it over Panasonic because it can take an analogue input and I plan to copy from an old analogue camcorder (to maintain quality, rather than copy these from the VCR tapes they were copied to originally). Not tried it yet, but the box certainly seems to have the right connections.
Cons -
If you've got cable, then be ready for a challenge.. You need to get your head round the connections and what you might call the protocols of operation. I've linked the cable box to the TV and to the Sony (using scarts), then I've got a terrestrial aerial connected to the Sony, which enables me to use the freeview tuner in the Sony. But with the tendency for modern kit to change its input to seek a signal, the challenge is knowing what it is you are watching - the cable or freeview! But a quick press of a button on either the box remote or Sony remote will tell you.
No mute button on the remote!!! How can they miss something so basic??? Instead of being able to `zap' the sound (eg while the adverts are on), you have to press and hold the volume down button, then the volume up button when you want it back again - a mute button is such a simple feature that all remotes have, don't they?? It's not the sort of thing you think to check on when doing your research.. (The mute button on the cable remote still works if the input to TV is direct from that, but of the two scart outputs from the cable box, the one marked `VCR' is unaffected by the mute / volume control, presumably so you don't find you've muted your recordings by mistake - as we mainly watch the signal that comes via the Sony (to enable pausing live TV), I could reverse the scart connections, but don't want to risk that very possibility..)
I couldn't get it to control the cable box and have given up - supposedly it will control the box using the Sony remote, then be able to change the channels to record something on the preset timer, but I can't get it to. I read a whole load about the `Red-eye' converter that some cable boxes need (about £35 to buy online), but it made it clear that my Samsung box (supplied by Virgin) didn't need one. But there may be a benefit here - by keeping a clear head and being aware of which unit is reading which input, I can play `remote jockey' and use the full capabilities of the cable box as well and the freeview. And if I want to record something in the future, I use the freeview guide to set it up - I can't record cable channels on a forward planning basis, but having cut back to the free channels on this (the rest are not worth the extra I was paying anyway), this is not a problem.
 Great quality, poor interface January 2, 2009
Poplife (London, UK)
69 out of 72 found this review helpful
Recording quality is excellent - so far, I've had no problems making great-looking 1hr 40min long DVDs from a Sky+ box by recording to the Sony's HD, editing, then burning to DVD. Freely (almost infinitely) adjustable recording quality. Happily records RGB-format signals from your satellite receiver, which helps a lot. Freeview picture quality also seems excellent. You can fairly easily edit the adverts out of recordings before burning to DVD, add more chapter marks, etc. They seem to have thought of everything in terms of facilities (apart from a manual audio level control. That would have been nice.)
Recording from the built-in Freeview tuner also works... although by comparison with a Sky+ box it's tough to get your head around.
And that's the real problem. The user interface is ugly, with poor use of the screen "real estate". Some of it is confusing, and some just downright awkward (for example, naming discs and programme titles is unnecessarily slow and laborious). I could live with that if the finished DVDs looked good, but the available DVD menu designs are laughable - there are only six, and all of them are ghastly, with almost illegible programme titles. They've clearly attempted to "jazz" them up with additional graphics, but the graphics are about Teletext quality. Yes, I think on one of them, that blocky-looking blob is supposed to be duck. Do you want a maroon duck on your DVD menu? No? Then that's one of the six designs you won't be using. Again, it wouldn't be a problem if there was one basic menu design that worked, but there isn't. So you end up trying them all in an attempt to decide which menu looks "the least bad"!
It's as if the engineers at Sony spent six months on the hardware, then an afternoon doing the software. That said, for simple archiving of TV programmes without firing up a computer, it works, and the actual video itself looks great. At the end of the day, that's all I need most of the time.
But beware, if you're not good with AV equipment you may find this machine too complicated to figure out... although I couldn't tell you if other DVD recorders are any better in this regard as this is the first standalone DVD recorder I've owned.
In summary: Great picture quality, but somewhat frustrating to use.
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